This is the ad which Dove was about to unleash
on the world as part of its new campaign promoting
desirable armpits. The copy reads “Dear New Jersey,
When people call you the armpit of America, take it
as a compliment. Sincerely, Dove.” New Jersey’s state
government wasn’t amused, and Dove has withdrawn the ad.
First of all, I’ve always been suspicious of Dove’s
Natural Beauty campaign, which has used models of
many races, body sizes and ages. While Dove is promoting
healthier body images for women, the whole thing can feel
condescending, as if Dove is crowing, “At last! Beauty
products for people who aren’t beautiful!” Dove keeps
patting itself on its corporate back, for being inclusive.
The campaign reminds me of the attempts at
manufacturing more realistic dolls, in opposition
to Barbie-like perfection. These dolls had more ample
proportions and were called things like Just My Size
or Happy To Be Me.
The only problem was, little girls didn’t like playing
with these dolls and the dolls were always discontinued.
The dolls were too P.C. and patronizing; no self-respecting
child wants to play with a loser doll.
An even sadder doll was My Buddy, from Hasbro.
My Buddy was supposed to be a doll which little boys
could play with.
My Buddy was a misguided attempt at creating a
butch doll for manly little boys, but he looks more
like a mentally handicapped gay preschooler. He was
also, of course, the inspiration for the homicidal Chuckie.
The most terrifying doll ever is My Twinn, which is a very
expensive doll customized to resemble its owner. The
company then makes a fortune selling matching outfits
for the doll and its BFF.
My Twinn dolls were among the few playthings ever created by Diane Arbus.
